The present invention relates to an apparatus for the quantitative elution of proteins or polypeptides from a gel by means of elctrophoresis.
Protein mixtures, such as viruses, and isolated biological membranes, etc. (separated according to SDS (sodium dodecyl sulfate)/polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (see e.g. Laemmli, Nature Vol. 227, pp. 680 to 685, 1970; and Thomas and Kornberg, Proc. Nat. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. Vol. 72, pp. 2226 to 2630, 1975) are represented as individual bands in a plate gel. These bands correspond to individual proteins having the corresponding molecular weight. In order to utilize the thus separated proteins, or polypeptides, for other purposes, the bands are separated from the plate gel and collected. The protein retained in the network of the polyacrylamide is electrophoretically eluted. Generally a running buffer such as 5 mM tris-glycin, pH 8.6 0,2% SDS and 0.5% mercaptoethanol is used as the elution buffer.